Bound by grief, branded by need too intense to ignore…
After an accident kills Brett Miller’s parents, the reins of Steeplecrest Ranch fall to him. The arrival of rightful half-owner Cade Armstrong, who lost his parents in the same accident, only kicks up the tension. Brett would rather buy out Cade’s share and send the man back to New York, but his hands are tied.
After seven years leading a hedonistic life in the big city, Cade returns to face his loss. Once he’s got acres of rolling ranch land back under his feet he discovers he wants to keep them planted on home ground—and show the man he’s lusted after since puberty just how good they’d be together.
Then Cade’s friend, Jessica, arrives from the city and the sexual tension rockets from simmer to full boil. Brett finds himself incredibly turned on—and incredibly confused. Cade is through waiting for Brett’s mind to open wide enough to let love in. It’s time for the proper application of an emotional crowbar. Even if it means he could lose Brett forever.
Product Warnings
This book contains confused emotions, a man in denial, anal sex 101, a steamy ménage scene, drunken blow-jobs, seriously hot cowboy sex and enough sexual tension to make you squirm.
Copyright © 2010 Ava Rose Johnson
All rights reserved — a Samhain Publishing, Ltd. publication
He strode out of the kitchen and through the foyer and groaned. On the other side of the screen door stood Cade, a six pack of Bud at his side. Damn.
Summoning all the patience he could muster, he took another step forward and pulled open the door. Cade looked up from where he’d been studying the porch floor and visibly jumped. Brett raised an eyebrow and waited.
“Thought I’d stop by,” Cade finally said, pulling himself together. “Guess we have a few things to talk about.”
“Guess so.” Leaving the door open, Brett headed back into the kitchen and leaned against the kitchen counter-top. He folded his arms across his chest, watching Cade as he followed him in. At least he’d taken the damn suit off. Dressed in blue jeans and a white T-shirt, the kid almost looked like he belonged on a ranch. Even the dark blonde curls that had been perfectly slicked back at the funeral were hanging loose, almost reaching his collar.
Cade held up the beers and then placed them on the table. Without waiting to be asked, he sat on one of the chairs and slung his arm over the back of another. “Busy day?”
“We’re always busy.” Brett glanced at the remains of his sandwich that were sitting in the middle of the table and felt another stab of annoyance. With this guy sitting in his kitchen, he’d lost his appetite.
“Saw Jimmy on my way up here. Looked pretty tired.”
Brett narrowed his eyes. Arrogant son of a bitch. What was he trying to say? That he worked the old man too hard? “Jimmy’s tough as nails,” he bit out. “If he thought I was working him too hard, he’d say so.”
Cade frowned. “Did I say you were working him too hard?”
“Forget it.” He pushed away from the counter and stood in front of Cade. Why did he always have to get so defensive around this guy? As kids they’d always gotten along okay, though they’d moved in different circles. A two-year age gap was a big deal in high school and he hadn’t wanted Cade following him around every second of the day. He still didn’t want that. “Could you get to the point already? I need to take a shower.”
Cade seemed to stiffen in his chair and his blue eyes dropped to Brett’s sweat-covered torso. Brett didn’t know why but he felt a sudden urge to cover himself up.
“Take a shower,” Cade said, his eyes returning to Brett’s. “I can wait.”
He scowled. What could he say to that? Besides, despite the fact that he wanted this kid out of here, they had a lot to figure out first. And he didn’t want to be shirtless and sweating while they did it.
“Fine,” he said, grabbing the remnants of his sandwich and throwing it in the garbage. “I’ll be down in a minute.”
Leaving Cade lounging in his chair, he headed upstairs, unbuckling his belt as he went. He removed his socks and pants in the bathroom and then stepped into the shower. For five minutes, he let the hot water blast the tension from his muscles, but as soon as he turned it off the tension hit back full force.
This was going to be a long night.
Cade didn’t know what he’d expected when he’d rung the Miller doorbell ten minutes ago, but he definitely hadn’t expected to be greeted with the sight of Brett’s naked chest. As he’d stared openly at the expanse of sweat-slick muscle, he’d barely been able to string a sentence together and he could only thank the Lord Brett had been too pissed off to notice the thickening bulge in his pants.
Always the sucker for punishment, Cade glanced at the wooden counter-top where Brett had leaned against minutes before with his arms crossed over his solid chest. The position had made his well-formed biceps bulge and the angle he’d rested his hips against the counter had pushed his pelvis forward, accentuating the lines of muscle that disappeared beneath the waistband of his jeans.
Cade shook his head. The way his mind worked, no wonder he was still hard even though Brett had been out of sight for more than five minutes.
Clamping his left hand over his balls, he reached for the long-neck he’d opened with his right. He brought it to his lips and drank long and deep, letting the cold beer wash down his throat and soothe the burning within him. If he could just pull himself together before Brett came down…
Too late. Brett’s footsteps on the staircase echoed in the foyer. Cade gripped his bottle, focusing on the label as Brett stalked into the kitchen. The clean, soapy scents of shampoo and shower gel swirled around him. Nothing fancy, simple and masculine. A perfect match to Brett’s personality. Cade’s grip on the beer bottle tightened as he held it up and forced a smile.
“Couldn’t help myself.”
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